The Game
by TreeHillGirll
Summary: "It really all starts with a game, an unspoken agreement: See who can piss the other off the most"


**Disclaimer: I own nothing, Ryan Murphy owns the genius of Glee**

It really all starts with a game, an unspoken agreement: See who can piss the other off the most

* * *

He sees her flirting with Finn, she's batting her eyelashes, giggling and swatting his arm playfully.

She's going all out and he knows it's for his benefit.

So he waits 'till what he knows is her free period and when he sees her walking down the hall he pins Santana against a locker and begins making out with her. He hears a huff of annoyance and he grins. Santana thinks it's because of her and he lets her think that

* * *

Jesse is in Vocal Adreneline their rival Glee Club. He's very talented and in the most sense he's the male her. Puck has made his dislike of Jesse very clear. So she hooks up with him. Then she tells Mercedes who is the biggest gossip so she knows it'll get back to him.

She knows he's heard when she sees im in the hall all over a Junior Cheerio. What she doesn't expect to see is the cheerleader wearing his (her favorite) shirt. As pissed as she is about the shirt she can tell by the look he gives her that he's even angrier at the fact that she hooked up with Jesse.

Mercedes and Rachel are constantly at each others throats. He knows first hand from Rachels rants when their alone that Mercedes is far from being her favorite person. That's why he asks Mercedes on a date in front of her and when she glares heatedly at him and rolls her eyes he simpley smiles and winks at her.

He scowls as he watches her ask Mike out the next day. Going after his friend/team mate is low. Mikes back is to him and when she asks she's not even really looking AT him. To anyone else it seems so but he can tell as she smiles and says each word she's saying it smugly and over Mikes shoulder at him.

He figures the other Glee members must be stupid not to figure out what they're doing.

* * *

One night she hooks up with Finn and honestly she didn't mean to actually go that far. It was just supposed to be a simple date, something she could rub in Pucks face. Then Finn mentions how Pucks with Quinn right now and he's positive their going at it. Something in her kind of breaks and suddenly she's naked next to a body that doesn't belong to the boy she wants it to.

His sleeping with Quinn is completely unintentional, surprising coming from him he knows. Quinn was just part of a game she didn't know she was playing. His plan was to take her to breadsticks, flaunt her around, then tell Matt and Artie what an awesome time they had when he knew Rachel would be listining. Then Quinn begins a discussion about how much Finn loves Rachel and she wouldn't be surprised if they got together soon. Next thing he knows their having sex.

It's a week after the regretful hook up with Finn when he approaches her in the hall. She tries to escape but it's to late. He asks her to be his girlfriend and for a moment she considers it, then she glances down the hall and catches Pucks eyes on her and she kindly declines Finns relationship request.

Later that afternoon she realises Puck hasn't talked to her once all day and she wonders if it was a bad idea saying no to Finn. Then she sees Puck in a fight with the cheerio from before as he demands his shirt back.

When she's in his bed that night wearing his (her) shirt she threatens that if she ever sees anyone besides her wearing this shirt again he won't be getting any for a long time.

* * *

So that ends the game, and then it's just the two of them. A friends with benefits agreement where him and the girl are as equally friends as they are benefitting. It's new to him, their kind of like a couple, without being one. He's not sure how it works but it does. They don't even hook up with other people.

Sams the only one who knows about them. Sam is Rachels bitch .. well okay Rachels best friend. He moved here last year and the two are attached at the hip. Rachel tells him everything. Everything!. He'd be jealous if it wasn't for the fact that Rachel also tells him everything (such as Sams been sneaking around with Quinn for the past week secretly, not like he cares he gets more Rachel time this way)

* * *

Their sitting in his room one day. He's sitting on his bed, back against the headboard and she's in between his legs and their watching tv when Sarah rushes in. She's yelling about some broadway musical she just saw on tv and how great would it be to live in New York and be a star and when she leaves the room he looks at her and says

"Fuck Berry you've gotta stop talking to my sister, one of you is enough crazy"

She's mad at him for saying it, until he makes it up to her by telling her the exact moment they met in detail, she smiles brightly and thinks she could get used to this

* * *

Puck realises their friends with benefits is getting more stringy then a puppet show. One day Rachel has a family thing with her dads so he goes to see Finn. The two of them sit in his garage drinking beer and playing halo

"Man where have you been latley" Finn questions him

Puck shrugs "Just around"

"It's like we never see you anymore, I miss you man" Finn jokes

Puck punches him in the arm "Dude don't say shit like that to me, were bros not sisters"

Finn shakes his head realising his friends never going to change "So look me and the guys are heading to a party over at the college campus tonight, lots of booze and college chicks looking to score, both of your favorite things" Finns grinning and wiggling his eyes suggestivly and Puck laughs at his friends antics

Before he can answer his phone vibrates and he see a text from Rachel

_Can't make it tonight, sorry my dads are making me stay for this family thing at my aunts. I miss you tho xoxo_

He can't help but feel dissapointed he won't see her, and his chest kind of does this wierd clenching when he see's that she misses him, and his eyes widen because he realises that _oh fuck he actually cares_

So he takes Finns offer to head out on the town with the boys because, when the hell did Berry make his commitment phobia seem like a bad thing rather then something he prides himself on.

* * *

She's just home from her aunts and changing into her pajamas when she gets a call.

"Hello"

_"Hey baby"_ She sighs because she knows it's Puck, and she knows he's drunk

"Noah have you been drinking" She asks despite knowing the answer

_"Only a lil, I missed you babe, and Finn and the guys brought me to a party at the college so I had some fun" _He slurs it so it's a little hard for her to make out but she knows him better then anyone else so she notices the tenseness and bitter to the ending of that sentence

Despite the fact that her stomach muscles are clenching and she knows she's not going to want to hear this she asks "What kind of fun"

She hears him sigh and can imagine him running his hand over his mohawk "_Rach baby it didn't mean anything really, she was just there, and god i missed you" _He stresses the word missed like that'll some way justify what he just said

Through gritted teeth she says "Just tell me what happened Noah"

Silence and then "_I slept with someone else"_

* * *

She hasn't talked to him in a little over a week. He's going crazy being away from the crazy of her. He knows he fucked up. Even tho they weren't official to the public, it was pretty official to her ... okay and him to.

He had shown up with the guys planning on just having a good time and drinking with his boys. After some beer, and some vodka, some Jack, he's pretty much drunk off his ass.

So he wonders to find the bathroom, theres a line up so he sits on the couch next to some girl. She has dark hair just like Rachel, and it reminded him how much it sucked not having her here with him right now.

The girl turns out to be just as tanked as he is, he complains about missing Rachel, she whines about missing her ex. He tells her him and Rachel ain't public and he's okay with that but he's scared if they don't he's gonna lose her. The girl goes into some sob story about her and her boyfriend that during his drunken haze he somehow twists the details and imagines it to be him and Rachel if they were to go official.

He's scared he'll lose her. He's scared she'll find somebody to replace him, someone who's better. He gets angry at her like somehow it's already happened so he kisses the brunette next to him. Pretty soon their in her brothers dorm room (turns out she's a senior in high school as well)

Phoning Rachel and admitting what happened was the hardest thing in the world.

Scratch that, second hardest, the first would be having to hear her cry before she hung up the phone

* * *

She doesn't have girl friends. She didn't even really have any friends before Sam came along. She got lucky with him because surprisingly he loves her enough to sometimes do the girl friend things. Such as binging on ice cream and watching sad movies when your heart breaks.

Right now hers are in tiny peices.

Sam reassures her that despite the fact they weren't a "couple" she still has every right to be pissed. She thanks him for that because it's true. Noah knows how she feels about him, and she knows he feels the same way even if he hasn't actually said it. It's just the way he acts around her makes her feel like the most special girl in the world.

She gave up a relationship with Finn for him. She took care of him and his sister when they had the chicken pox. She helped get him off the hook with his pissed off mother who happens to adore Rachel.

So yeah she's upset and she has a right to be.

But that doesn't make it easy to be mad at him.

* * *

It's been a week, he hasn't heard anything from Rachel. She ignores his calls, his texts, avoids him in the halls and doesn't look him in the eye at glee.

He's acting like an asshole to everyone, and nobody knows why. His friends tell him to stop being a little bitch since he got to hook up with some hot girl last weekend he should be thrilled. It makes him realise how little his friends really know what's going on with him.

But it's not the first time. Theres alot he's kept hidden from them. It all involves Rachel.

Like the fact that before he met the guys when they were eleven his birthdays were spent with his family and Rachels, because their parents are close and they were born a week apart.

Or that he didn't lose it to Santana during Mikes first ever party when they were fifteen. Truth he lost it to Rachel when they both turned fourteen. He's not sure how it happened really. They had gone out to the old abandoned airport as their own special birthday celebration and he had brought his moms secret stash of Jack. First time either of them had gotten drunk and one thing led to another and him and Rachel had lost it to each other.

They kind of kept their distance after that. Only talking scattered times. Nobody really knowing the bond they shared. It wasn't until junior year things started happening again.

She had to babysit Sarah and he had the flu so it was like she was babysitting him to. Made him remember how much he truely missed her company.

What happened after that was just a trigger for the events to follow.

* * *

She's actually surprised with her restraint in avoiding him. Everytime she sees him she just want to run into his arms. Then she reminds herself she's stronger then that and he's got a hell of alot more grovelling to do, but Sam makes a good point when he tells her maybe Puck needs some reeassurance that they still mean something to each other

So their all in Glee when she announces she has a song with a very important message she wants to sing, a few people roll their eyes but it's only his she's paying attention to as she begins singing

If we walk away now  
There's no turning around  
Gotta say what I need  
While you're here with me  
I'm not sure I'll find words  
To cover the hurt  
That I see in your eyes  
But I gotta try

I know that rocks turn to sand  
And hearts can change hands  
And you're not to blame  
When the sky fills with rain  
But if we stay or walk away  
There's one thing that's true  
I still love you  
I still love you

Can you search down inside  
Let go of your pride  
If I forget trying to win  
And just let you in  
I didn't travel this far  
To watch it all fall apart  
So give me your hand  
And take a chance

I know rocks turn to sand  
And hearts can change hands  
And you're not to blame  
When the sky fills with rain  
But if we stay or walk away  
There's one thing that's true  
I still love you

Riding to me as close as before  
Whatever happens  
I won't ask for more  
Here in my heart  
From now 'til the end  
Flame out or fly  
We have to try again

I still love you

I know rocks turn to sand  
And hearts can change hands  
And you're not to blame  
When the sky fills with rain  
But if we stay or walk away  
There's one thing that's true  
I still love you

Yeah, I still love you

If we stay or walk away  
There's one thing that's true  
I still love you  
Yeah, I still love you

I still love you  
I still love you  
I still love you  
I still love you

She whispers the last line and wipes the few tears from her face that have fallen, the group is confused by who exactly she loves, but that doesn't matter to her. As long as he gets the message that despite the fact she's heartbroken and angry beyond words, she still loves him dearly

* * *

He catches up with Sam after practice one day

"Hey man I need your help winning Rachel back"

Sam smiles and pats him on the back and says "Took you long enough to come to the expert Puckerman"

Puck laughs a little but he knows it's true, other then him Sam knows Rachel better then anyone.

That's how Puck finds himself walking into Glee the next day with a bouqet of lillies (Rachels favorite) and a bag of mini kinder eggs (her guilty pleasure) and a song with a message ready to be heard

Everyones confused when he hands the flowers and chocolate to Rachel, all except her. Well and Sam of course. She gives him a small but soft smile

"This is for my girl, er well I hope she's still my girl" He stutters out a bit embarresed

I never thought that I was so blind  
I can finally see the truth  
It's me for you

Tonight you can't imagine that I'm by your side  
Cuz it's never gonna be the truth  
Too far for you

But can you hear me say?  
Don't throw me away  
And there's no way out  
I gotta hold you somehow

I wanna I wanna I wanna touch you  
You wanna touch me too  
Everyday but all I have is time  
Our loves the perfect crime

I wanna I wanna I wanna touch you  
You wanna touch me too  
Every way and when they set me free  
Just put your hands on me

Take everything that I know you'll break  
And I give my life away  
So far for you  
But can you hear me say  
Don't throw me away  
There's no way out  
I gotta hold you somehow

I wanna I wanna I wanna touch you  
You wanna touch me too  
Everyday but all I have is time  
Our loves the perfect crime

I wanna I wanna I wanna touch you  
You wanna touch me too  
Every way and when they set me free  
Just put your hands on me

Tonight I'm weak  
It's just another day without you  
That I can't sleep  
I gave away the world for you to

Hear me say  
Don't throw me away  
There's no way out  
I gotta hold you somehow

All I wanna do is touch you  
I wanna I wanna I wanna touch you  
You wanna touch me too  
Everyday but all I have is time  
Our loves the perfect crime

I wanna I wanna I wanna touch you  
You wanna touch me too  
Every way and when they set me free  
Just put your hands on me

I wanna I wanna I wanna touch you  
You wanna touch me too  
But all I have is time  
Our loves the perfect crime

I wanna I wanna I wanna touch you  
You wanna touch me too  
And when they set me free  
Just put your hands on me

When he finishes he see's Rachel smiling widely, and he knows she's remembering the time in his truck when he told her this was their song.

"I'm sorry Rach, I love you, and I promise if you forgive me i'll spend forever loving you" He tells her

His heart pounds harder then it ever has as she jumps into his arms and he spins her around, kissing her all over, her nose, her forhead, her lips while holding her tightly.

God he's missed having her in his arms

* * *

It's been three months and things are going great for them, sure they fight, she's stubborn and he's thick headed but they get through it. Their soulmates she can feel it inside.

She remembers an episode of her favorite show Greek when Cappie said 'You can always go back to your soulmate, that's what makes them your soulmate'

She thinks that describes her and Noah perfectly.

The Glee club minus Sam was shocked when they learned about them, even more shocked when they learned technically they'd been seeing each other for a year, just not exclusively.

They weren't ready for that before, but now they are.

They face their first big challenge as a couple the day they are at her locker, Noah was holding her books while she was talking (as usual) when this girl comes up to them

"Hey it's Puck right" She smiles at him, clearly flirting

He's confused as to who she is "Umm yeah"

"Don't you remember, it's Marissa, we hooked up at that party a few months ago"

Rachel stops breathing as she realises this is the girl that almost ruined them. Before Puck says anything to her shes slammed her locker and is storming down the hallway

Great just fucking great, the arrival of that Marissa chick has Rachel seriously pissed off. He can't seem to find her anywhere, he goes to the auditorium hoping to see her but when he doesn't he flops into a seat and runs his hands over his face

Someone sits next to him and he turns hoping it's Rachel, apparently the world is against him because it's the reason he's looking for Rachel instead

"Hey"

"Look you can't be here" He says standing to get away but she blocks his path

She looks confused "I'm sorry, I thought we had a good time that night, was I wrong"

He sighs "Look your a nice girl, at least I guess but what happened that was a mistake, it hurt my girlfriend and i'm not going to do anything to ever hurt her again so your wasting your time"

She smirks and blocks his path as he goes to leave again "Come on, she doesn't have to know, I can keep a secret" she places her hand on his arm

He grabs her hand, a little to rough but he's pissed "Not interested, the only girl I am interested in is named Rachel, and since clearly your not her I suggest you leave"

Marissa huffs in annoyance, pulls her hand out of his grasp and leaves

Theres silence before he hears her voice "If I had any doubts about being mad at you that certainly cleared them up"

He turns to see her approaching from behind the curtains "Rach"

She holds up a hand to stop him "It's okay Noah, I trust you"

He wraps his arms around her waist "So were good"

She smiles "Were more then good, were Rachel and Noah"

He shakes his head laughing "No babe, were Puckleberry"

* * *

She's late.

She doesn't mean to Glee practice, or dance. She's late as in might be pregnant.

It's not for sure, she knows this could be anything. She's not some stupid niave girl who is a few days late and automatically assume she's pregnant, but she's been sick, and she's a week late.

So first she calls Sam

1. Because he's not emotionally invested in this  
2. Because he's her first responder in every aspect of her life.

He calms her down, helps her rationalize and brings her three pregnancy tests

She laughs as he explains the look on the pharmacists face when he told her they were for his baby mama and that they were working on their third child

She thinks back to middle school, when everyone had a best friend to hang with and have sleepovers, this was the time when Puck started hanging with the guys so she had nobody.

She loves Sam so much, his presence in her life has been one of her greatest joys.

He asks if she wants him to stay while she takes the tests but she declines, this is something she needs to do with Noah

She calls and asks him to come over.

"Hey baby, what's wrong you sounded stressed on the phone" He says when he enters the house

"I'm late" She admits, she'd laugh at the look on his face if this weren't so serious.

So she takes the tests and they wait for the results

"Are you scared" She asks him

"Fuck yes" He tells her, he reaches over and grabs her hand "But no matter what, i'm here for you and our kid"

The timer goes off and she checks the tests,

Negative. All three.

They breathe in relief

* * *

Their approaching graduation soon, and he's scared of losing her. She's destined for great things, New York and Broadway.

He's destined to say in this town. He knows it, despite her protests.

He goes to visit in hopes of figuring out his future, hopefully one involving Rachel.

tells him since his grades have gone up exceptionally he has a high chance of getting a music scholarship to a school in New York.

This news feels like gods way of telling him that he does belong with Rachel

So he fill out the forms and sends them in.

Three weeks later he gets a response in the mail, he goes to see Rachel

"Did we have plans that I forgot about" she questions when he walks into her room

He holds out the envolope to her "I applied for a music scholarship, in New York, this is the reply and I want you to open it"

She takes it from him and he watches closely as she reads it, next thing he knows she's jumped into his arms her legs wrapped around his waist

"You did it baby, you got in, were going to New York" She smiled brightly

He can't believe it "Were going to New York"

She nods, he grins like a fool and screams "Were going to New York"

* * *

The day before graduation he purposes.

and she throws a shoe at his head.

It's not that she doesn't want to marry him, because she does, she knows he is her future but their so young, they havn't even graduated high school yet and he wants to get married.

He realises she's freaking out right now so he grabs her hand and sits her down on the bed "I'm not saying we have to get married tomorrow or even in a few months, this is just me letting you know were not some high school thing, were the real deal"

She's never done anything impulsive in her life, everything has always been thought out down to thelast detail, but she loves this boy more then anything else in the world, and she trusts him with her heart.

She takes a deep breathe "Okay"

He pauses for a second "Wait like yes okay"

She giggles "Yes Noah Puckerman i'll marry you"

He tackles her to the bed kissing her all over.

She calls Sam right away, Noah jokes about Sam being her maid of honour.

She hits him with a pillow.

* * *

It's a year later and she's standing in a synagogue in a large white dress waiting for her wedding to start.

Her wedding, she likes the sound of that.

"Wow you look like a princess" Sam interupts her thoughts

"Thanks, is it weird i'm so nervous" she asks

"Nope, it's normal"

She's given the single it's time for the wedding to start, Sam is going to walk her down the isle

As she's walking she notices all the guests, everyone from Glee is here, plus her new friends from the theatre and Pucks work friends from the law firm.

They finally make it to the end and Sam tells Puck he better take care of her

"Dearly beloved we are gathered here today to join in the union of Rachel Barbara Berry and Noah Elijah Puckerman, the couple has wrote their own vows"

Puck cleared his throat and looked at Rachel "Rach you've always been there for me, you believed in me even when nobody else did. I wouldn't be who I am without you, you taught me what true love is from the time we were kids to this day, and the only thing I can give you in return is to promise to love you and make you happy for the rest of our lives"

Rachel whipped away stray tears that had fallen "Noah even when I was a niave little thirteen year old girl I knew you were the one, the one i'd spend my life with, the one i'd share the big things in my life with, you saved me from myself, you loved me like nobody else could or ever can and for that i'm eternally greatful and forever yours"

"I know pronounce you man and wife, you may now kiss the bride"

"About damn time" Puck said causing everyone to laugh as he swoped Rachel in his arms and gave her the first kiss as

* * *

and to think, it all started with a game.

Hey guys, I finally managed to finish this story, i've been sick latley and between Doctors appointments and Getting school work done writings been hard to do but there will be a new chapter of You are not me, who made you king of anything posted within the next few days.


End file.
